Google may be taking this whole cloud thing a little too literally. The company is teaming up with Virgin America to let passengers test out the new Google Chromebook while in flight. The Chromebook laptops started appearing on June 15 and are the first official machines to run Google Chrome OS. If you happen to be travelling soon, Google and Virgin are offering the chance to “test-fly” the new laptop between July 1 and Sept. 1, 2011.

Passengers who check out a Chromebook for a flight will get free WiFi while on board, and also at airport gates. However, not all Virgin terminals will be offering this special experience. Google “Chrome Zone” lounges will be limited to airport gates in San Francisco, Chicago O’Hare, Boston, and in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Starting this week, passengers can check one out for their flight before boarding, and also be assisted by Google Chrome Staff before getting on the plane. It looks like you can only use the Chromebook on flights from San Francisco to Chicago, San Francisco to Boston, and San Francisco to Dallas.

Anyone interested will just have to give their credit card info as a deposit and then will be able to use the laptop on their flights before returning them at their arriving gate. We imagine your card will only get charged if you somehow manage to damage or break the device.

We thought it was surprising that a major city like New York wasn’t included in this offer. However, Google has teamed up with New York’s Ace Hotel. When you check into your room at the Ace, you’ll find that a Chromebook awaits you. You can use it wherever you’d like around the city. Google is offering free Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity for Ace Hotel guests using the Chromebook.

The Chromebook is definitely a concept that most people will need to wrap their heads around. It looks like a laptop, but it’s more of a conduit between your information stored in the cloud – mail, web browsing, calendar, music, etc. – and yourself. You’re not storing any files or programs on the Chromebook; you simply access what you’ve stored in the cloud.

Google’s relationship with the Ace Hotel and Virgin may be a way to get people who would normally not be interested in the device to check it out and potentially buy it.